83 Seconds
by FlappieDungeon
Summary: The gang realizes how much they needed Barney Stinson in their lives. They all need him.
1. Robin

**8.3 SECONDS**

**A/N: Well, this is my first fanfic. I hope it doesn't suck too bad. There is supposed to be 4 parts of it, Robin, Ted, Marshall and Lily's respectively, but eh. *shrugs* Maybe if someone reads it and doesn't curse my story, I'll write the rest. Am I talking to myself again? Yes, yes I am. :) If you like it, *hugsandneverletsgo*. Comment/review/something. I'll go now. **

"You won't forget me?"

Robin cringed. What an insensitive, dumb, and senseless question that was. As if she could.

"Promise?" His voice was soft, barely above a whisper.

Nodding slowly, Robin sighed and planted a kiss on the top of his head. He looked so tired. She gave him the best smile she could possibly muster at that moment and told him that she would visit him again tomorrow.

"Now go get laid." He grinned.

Robin pretended to be offended and playfully hit his arm. When she got up to leave, his grip on her wrist tightened. He looked imploringly at her. He wanted her to stay.

"Do you want me to stay?"

"Psssh. No. I'm not a baby," he argued half- heartedly.

And so, she stayed. It was a good thing she did too, because that night he woke up, screaming in pain. He struggled violently when she pulled him close for a hug, he quietly sobbed into her arms when the pain eventually subsided.

Robin had seen Barney Stinson cry countless of times. Only, they were never real, genuine tears. He usually faked them, those crocodile tears, just to entertain the gang or to complete his outlandish challenges. He was not a fighter, she knew, but right now, he hated being the weaker individual, protesting whenever anyone fussed over him. The Barney she knew, that would have taken advantage of any injuries just so that people would baby him, that Barney, was gone. This Barney, the one with leukemia, ("Freaking leukemia of all things? Lame," were his exact words when the doctor broke the news to them. ), was strong. He would merely wince in pain when they did tests on him. He took it in stride, taking to heart his own wise words, 'When I am sick, I stop being sick and be _awesome_ instead.' He would crack obscene, inappropriate jokes about his nurses when they visited him.

But now, finally, the pain had taken a toll on him. Robin could tell that he was giving up. And what made everything worse was that she could not even blame him for it.

"Robin?"

"Yes?"

"I think tonight's the night. I can't…" he whispered, "can't.. take it anymore."

Robin could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. She was the only person that never cried in front of him. Not even when they discovered the reason for his sudden loss of weight and his ever decreasing stamina. Sure she howled and bawled privately in her room when Ted was out, but never in Barney's presence. Robin Scherbatsky is an independent, kick-ass, gun-toting woman with a heart of stone. Tears? Please. So not her thing. At least that was what she showed herself to be in front of him. Inside, Robin is scared out of her mind. All she wants to do is to scream and curse, heck, shoot someone in the face just for the fun of it.

Barney, though, could see right through everyone. He noticed how differently they acted around him.

Ted was always talking during their visits, non-stop, about random things just so that there wouldn't be any awkward tension between them. This of course, earned fart noises from Barney just so that Ted would stop chattering away. Ted also never once complained about the insane things Barney requested of him. He did it willingly, no matter how horrible he knew the consequences to be.

_"Kiss her, Ted."_

_"Your nurse? You want me to kiss your nurse?"_

_Barney winked. "Hell yeah."_

_Ted looked a little pained at first, but his scowl was replaced by a smirk. _

_"Sure thing buddy. No problem-o."_

_The slap that they heard from the hallway made Barney and Robin laugh uproariously. The high-pitched scream that emitted from Ted caused Barney to double over with laughter till his face turned red._

_Ted came back, with his hand across his cheek. "Worth it," he muttered as he watched Barney wiping away tears of laughter._

Lily, on the other hand, almost always had tears in her eyes, babying Barney and mothering him, more like _smothering _him but still, it made Barney feel helpless.

_"Barney! Don't get out of bed. Remember what the doc.."_

_"God, Lily. You want me to wet my pants? I gotta pee." _

_"Wait for the nurses, then. Or let Marshall help you."_

_Barney sighed. "Lil, I can walk to the bathroom without Marshall's help."_

_"Nope. Oh no, you're sweating again. Barney, stay where you are. Eat your medicine. Here, I'll get you a drink. Did you eat the vitamins Ted bought? Lie down Barney and make sure..."_

_Barney rolls his eyes dramatically and groans. _

Marshall would look at Barney disapprovingly whenever he refused help or assistance, silently watching from the back and smiling at the lame things Barney and Ted would come up with to entertain them. Marshall was extremely overprotective of Barney, giving the doctors or nurses the 'you're dead to me' glare (which is getting a lot better, actually) when they hurt Barney as they did tests on him. He didn't want Barney to endure any more additional pain than was needed. It hurt him to see Barney in pain.

"_Barney."_

_"But Marshall, I'll take those medications later. Its dumb and it tastes like crap. And who cares if I don't take it on time?"_

_Marshall stares at him with unblinking eyes. _

_"Barney. Shut up and swallow those pills. I still have my fifth slap, and I'm not afraid to use it."_

_"But, but, you.."_

_"The fifth slap, Barney. I will do it."_

_"Fine. You all suck." Barney sticks his tongue out and swallows the pills grudgingly. _

_"Freaking Nazis."_

_Marshall smiles sadly and pats Barney on the back. _

But Robin, she acted as she always did. She laughed at his inability in getting out of bed and tripping over his own shoes, teased him as relentlessly as she would any other time when he said something embarrassing that makes zero sense. Because she knew, Barney needed that sense of normalcy.

_"And so, that was how the awesomeness that is Barney Stinson," he winks devilishly, "got both Jessica Alba and Heidi Klum in the same bed as him. What up."_

_"That's so awesome!" Ted exclaims, a little too enthusiastically._

_Lily shudders, muttering something about having to take a shower while Marshall high fives Barney with a wide grin._

_"Liar!" Robin shouted, earning disapproving glares from everyone but Barney. _

_"Don't disagree with him, God, Robin, what is wrong with you?" Lily hissed when they went out of the room to get some air._

_Robin shrugged. She saw the thumbs up she received from him and his pleased smile when she called him out on it. _

But those words, it caught her off guard. Robin loved this man; he had been one of her best friends since the day she fateful day she met Ted Mosby and was introduced to the gang. This person, by the name of Barney Stinson, encouraged her to do what made her happy, to be awesome and legendary all the time.

"Barney, I love you. You know that, don't you?

He winked. "Come on, sing me my favorite song. Our song. One last time."

Robin sang. Her voice broke as she did, and her tears flowed freely.

_"Met you at the mall. Didn't know how far I would fall…"_

He hummed along and closed his eyes. His fingers were intertwined with Robin's and he giggled when she hit the wrong note. Yes, she hit the wrong note in her own damned song. Robin smiled through her tears. She admired his courage. By the time she finished the song, though, there was complete silence. And she just knew, that her best friend, the awesomest, legendariest, (if there were such words) person that loved her the most, the one and only, Barney Stinson, was gone.

Robin woke up sobbing. That moment she shared with him, the last song she sang to him and his peaceful smile, she could remember it all so vividly. It took her approximately 8.3 seconds to finally realize that it was a dream. Barney never died. He never had leukemia in the first place. He was Barney _frickin'_ Stinson for goodness sake. Robin tried recalling the events of the day before. Then she remembered. She was mad at him, and it was something about Robin Sparkles, as a matter of fact, and she just decided to stop talking to him. She ignored all of his messages and calls, even refused to talk to him when Marshall, Ted and Lily, all begged her to. He was driving everyone crazy. That attention starved, childish 32 year old idiot.

But the dream, it shook Robin to her very core. She realized how important Barney Stinson was in her life. She just needed Barney's presence, she just needed … him. And Robin decided that nothing, be it guns, scotch, bimbos, or so help it, _Robin Sparkles_, would put a wedge in her precious friendship (relationship?) with Barney Stinson. He was worth so much more than all that. She loved that idiot.

She reached for her phone and hit speed dial.

"Robin, at last! I'm so sorry and cross my hea..."

"Want to play laser tag?" she asked innocently.

"Are you insane? Its 10 in the morning."

Silence.

"Be there in 5. And Robin?"

"Yeah?" Her heart beat fastened as she anticipated his next words.

"Suit up!"


	2. Ted

**A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews! They were awesome. :) Btw, I'm going to apologize beforehand for this chapter. It didn't quite come out the way I wanted it to. I'm sorry if it sucks. :( I've got a perfectly good excuse for it being awful, though. I've got exams! But seriously, thanks for reading and reviewing. And about the past tense, present tense, grammatical errors, etc, sorry again. I'm terrible at all that. Especially since it's so early in the morning. I reaaaaaly hope you guys like it. And yes, I am still talking to myself. :) The message that I want to get across is: thank you for reading, sorry if it sucks and have a nice day. :)**

"Marshall. What happened?"

"I don't know man. Three guys with guns just walked into the building saying that they'll start shooting, and people started freaking out, so we sneaked out th..." Marshall rambled on, face pale and hands shaking.

"Oh my god. Guns? What could.. God. They've evacuated everyone right?"

Marshall bites his lips and Ted starts feeling a little sick.

"Where's Barney?"

"That's.. that's the problem. He's still in there."

_**3 days ago…**_

_Ted was going to punch him and kick him where it hurts most. Heck, Ted just might kill him. Simply put, Barney Stinson was going to pay. _

"_What the hell, Barney?"_

"_Hiya Ted."_

"_No Barney. What in freaking hell were you thinking?"_

_Barney raises his eyebrows and frowns. "Dude, chill. What in the world are you talking about?"_

"_Cut the crap, Stinson. You know my job is in danger and you hit on one of my students? They could fire me just because of that, jackass. My job is at stake here. "_

_Barney smiles as his face dawns with realization. _

"_Ooooh. That. Ted, you don't understand. That chick was hot. Like really, on a scale of one to ten, she was a.."_

_What a typical Barney Stinson excuse. Unable to take it anymore, Ted punches Barney right in the face and leaves. _

Ted swallows. No, no, no, no. There is absolutely no need to worry. Barney will be fine. Knowing him, he's probably hiding in a storage room or something. Barney Stinson is no hero. He is not one to put himself in danger. He'll be fine.

Ted turns to Marshall and listens quietly as Marshall tries to comfort a distraught Lily through the phone. Ted holds on to a nearby railing and steadies himself.

He doesn't have to worry about Barney. He was the one that didn't want anything to do with him, remember?

"Barney will be fine. Don't worry about him." He tries shouting, but his words come out strangled.

"He'll be okay. Barney will make it out alive and he'll laugh at us for worrying." Ted repeats, on and on again, trying to assure and convince himself of that fact.

"We're not friends anymore." Ted tells himself.

_When Barney shows up at his front door with a scowl and black eye, Ted doesn't invite him in. _

"_Barney, what are you doing here?"_

"_Uh, awaiting an apology? Look at my face Ted. It's ruined!"_

_Ted scoffs. _

"_How am I supposed to pick up chicks with this hideous black eye? Sure, some of them totally dig it, but.."_

"_I don't even know why I hang out with you." _

_Barney looks confused for a moment, wondering if Ted had finally lost it._

"_Because I'm awesome? Duh."_

"_You're far from awesome. You, Barney, are a stupid, self-centered, and ignorant human being. All you care about is yourself, and to be honest, you are a terrible friend."_

_Ted sees that Barney is genuinely hurt by his words, but he goes on mercilessly anyway._

"_We hang out with you, thinking that there was something, no, someone behind that suit, but maybe.. maybe we gave you too much credit. You go on and on about me being your best friend, but best friends….They do not stick a knife up their friends back for their own gain. Best friends…"_

_Barney doesn't interrupt Ted. He lets Ted finish his little speech, and by the end of it, he quietly asks Ted a question._

"_Is that what you really think of me?"_

_Ted nods. Barney needs to know what a selfish idiot he is. Sure, Ted did not mean everything he said, but right now, this very moment, Ted is done trying to make excuses for Barney's behavior. He wants Barney out of his life. Ted is sure that he can damn well find another womanizing idiot to replace Barney._

"_And you want me.. gone?"_

"_Yes, Barney. I want you gone, and out of my life. My life, that you have completely ruined for your own pleasure. I don't know what made me think that you cared."_

_Barney takes a step back and grins weakly. _

"_Have a good life, then, Ted Mosby. It was a pleasure being your bro."_

_And just like that, Barney leaves. _

Robin reaches just 15 minutes later. After Marshall briefs her about the situation at hand, she makes her way over to Ted and slaps him.

"He didn't do anything wrong!"

Ted leans against the railing and glares at Robin.

"What was that for?"

"You broke him, you jerk!"

Robin lunges forward and tries attacking Ted again. Marshall grabs her by the arm and holds her closely to him while she struggles violently in his arms.

Ted blinks slowly as he registers Robin's words. What in living hell did she mean by that? Barney was the one that nearly got him fired, all for a college girl, and he was at fault for ending their friendship?

"He was trying to keep your job safe."

"_Did you really hit on the girl?"_

_Barney sighs. "I don't want to talk about it."_

_Robin looks at Barney and feels bile rising up her throat when she looks at his face. He looks sad, broken, and completely helpless. He looked exactly the same as he did in her dream. Like he has given up hope. _

"_I…I was just trying to.." He tries explaining, but words seem to have failed him._

"_Make sure Ted kept his job?"_

_His piercing blue eyes look straight into Robin's._

"_Am I a terrible friend?"_

_Robin shakes her head. Robin tries to think of something to say, something that would make him feel better, because, she has never seen Barney Stinson look so vulnerable. Except.. Robin takes a sip of her scotch and rids herself of the image. _

"_Tell him, Barney. He needs to know what you did for him."_

_Instead, Barney shrugs and takes a deep breath._

"_Maybe he's right, Robin. I am a good for nothing individual that no one will care about."_

_He winks. _

"_So I don't need friends. I'll be better off alone."_

_Robin reaches for his hand and squeezes it. _

"_I'm all for Team Barney. I'm your friend and that's that."_

_His eyes narrow and he looks as if he is about to disagree with her when she whispers something in his ears._

_Laughing for the first time since she saw him that day, he kisses her cheek and silently thanks her._

"_There is no way in hell I'm going to give you a chance to shoot me, Scherbatsky."_

Oh God, how could he be so, so stupid?

Shouldn't he have guessed that Barney was the reason why he was able to keep his job? And surely, with the sudden raise in his pay, he should have known something was up. But.. but how?

Damn. That girl he thought Barney was trying to hook up with was the dean's daughter. No wonder the dean's apprehension that Ted wasn't good enough of a professor suddenly vanished. It was all Barney's doing.

Double damn. What had he done? He trashed the man that went to great lengths to help him, and claimed that he was too much of a self-centered jerk to be friends with the great Ted Mosby?

"Damn, Ted. You are an idiot. Barney Stinson is one of the best friends you'll ever have. And you are the complete douchebag to make a freaking Himalaya out of a molehill. Idiot, idiot, _idiot_. Do you not remember the things that Barney has done for you and your friends?"

And Ted remembers.

Barney always cheers them up. Just not the normal way a normal person would make their friends laugh when they're having a bad day. Because Barney is not normal. He is beyond normal. He is totally, freaking awesome.

"_You see that girl there?"_

"_Yes, Barney. And no, we sooooo do not want to know what you're going to do with her."_

"_You are a man with a disgusting mind. Absolutely filthy."_

"_Really, Barney? Okay, what about that girl?" Ted questions, with a smile._

"_I'm going to sleep with her."_

"_And how do you plan to do that?" _

"_I'm going to go over to her and tell her that I'm going to sleep with her."_

_Ted frowns. "Buddy, that's not going to work."_

_Barney grins and cracks his knuckles. "Watch me."_

_Eight glasses of scotch later, they are all still laughing while Barney grunts with pain every time he moves._

_They toasted to the girl that punched Barney right where it hurt the most._

Ted realized, that Barney genuinely cared for each and every one of them.

_**Barney lured girls away from Marshall just so that Lily would still have a chance to win him back when she returned from San Francisco. **_

_**Barney was the one that bought Lily the plane ticket back to New York because even he knew that both Lily and Marshall were meant to be together. **_

_**Barney made sure that Robin stayed in New York, getting her a job just so that she won't be deported back to God-forsaken Canada, showing that behind the awesomely suited man was an individual capable of love and affection.**_

_**And, Barney was the one that taught Ted how to live. **_

_Barney Stinson made such a huge impact on their lives, so much so that without him, there would no longer be a 'Marshallow and Lilypad', Ted wouldn't know a former Canadian teen superstar by the name of Robin Sparkles, nor would there have been the celebration of legendary holidays such as 'Slapsgiving' or the tradition of 'Robots versus Wrestlers'. _

_Ted Mosby wouldn't be Ted Mosby without Barney Stinson. And all along, Ted made no effort of showing Barney how much he cared. _

_Ted needed Barney in his life, all suited up, always eager to share outrageous stories, unafraid of showing what a perverted mind he owns, and more importantly, to be the one looking out for the gang. _

When they heard the gunshots, Ted stops breathing. As far as they knew, only three hostages were left in the building. Barney was one of them.

Ted saw the commotion, he saw Marshall shouting to the police when they barged into the building, Robin holding back tears, and Lily (she arrived half an hour later after Marshall called) crying hysterically. But Ted felt like time chose to stand still so that he could wallow in his guilt when he saw a body carried out of the building. A dead body, with blonde hair.

"_He needs to know that I am sorry. I'm sorry. Sorry. Damn it Barney! I'm sorry."_

Ted breaks down and starts crying.

"Dude. Wake up."

The voice sounds so familiar. Ted opens his eyes to see Marshall frowning at him.

"Keep the noise down. He's asleep."

Ted gets up from the chair and he sees Barney lying on the bed, fast asleep.

"What happened?"

"Uh, well. You fainted, so I carried you to the car. And Barney, well, he just broke his arm trying to save his assistant. But he's fine."

Ted sighs with relief. At least Barney was not dead.

"I should go. I don't think he wants to see me." Ted admits softly.

Marshall shakes his head. "You are going to see him, and apologize to him, or I will shoot you myself with Robin's gun."

_When the EMT's carry Barney out of the building, there is a lot of blood on his suit and his arm is supported by a sling. Clearly, that body Ted saw was not Barney's._

_The moment Robin sees Barney, she runs to him and hugs him with so much force that he grunts with pain, asking her to let go so he could breathe. Lily is crying so hard that she can barely speak while Marshall just repeats 'Thank God' again and again._

_Seeing how much his friends care about him, Barney grins, and tries not to be overly disappointed by Ted's absence. Soon after, he saw Ted, looking like a possessed madman, shouting and begging for forgiveness. Barney chokes back a sob, and finds that it was becoming a struggle to remain conscious. _

"_It's okay, Ted. You're my bro. I forgive you." He murmured before losing consciousness. _

When Barney wakes up, Ted fails miserably at his attempt in keeping the conversation free from tears. Ted apologizes for his stupidity, and swears that whatever he said about Barney during their last conversation was untrue.

"I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. And I take everything I said back. I just made all that up."

Barney looks grim, causing Ted to worry that Barney wasn't going to accept his apology.

Suddenly, Barney starts smiling mischievously. Now Ted is _really_ worried.

"I'll forgive you only if you do the following."

Ted nods.

"Wingman me whenever I ask you to."

Another nod, albeit grudgingly.

"And you will do anything I ask of you without complaint."

"For a period of two weeks, tops?" Ted tries negotiating, dreading the insane things he would have to do.

Barney considers this with a frown.

"A month."

"Deal."

"And Barney?

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for being my friend. For… being my bro. Thank you."

"Ah. Just spreading the awesomeness one person at a time."

Ted chuckles and they fist bump before Ted excuses himself to go to the bathroom.

Lily walks into the room and starts lecturing Barney about safety and some random nonsense. Marshall offers support by agreeing with Lily and adding more safety precautions to her never-ending list.

Lily softens a little when she sees him yawning and wincing in pain.

"Go to sleep. We'll be here when you wake up."

Barney tries to argue but finds himself becoming increasingly drowsy. Turning, he sees Robin pushing the button to increase the morphine going into his system. She winks and gives the button a few more jabs before setting it down.

Oh well, his arm was starting to hurt like hell anyway. He sticks his tongue out at her and drifts off to sleep with a smile when she kisses his cheeks softly.

"You're an idiot."


	3. Marshall

**A/N: Hello everyone. *waves* I really appreciate all the reviews! It made me really happy, seeing that it has been kind of a crappy week. :) I'm apologizing again, though, for this chapter. The ideas were a lot better in my head than it is all typed out. Why is that, anyway? Eh, can't do anything about that. So, all the mistakes found, (mostly those grammatical errors, *facepalms*) are all mine. Only a 'genius' like me would be able to come up with all that. I is awesome. Hah. No? Okay. Enjoy reading, comment/review/something. You are all really awesome. *disappears***

"_You punched one of the guys in the face?"_

_Barney nods. _

"_All to save a damsel in distress?"_

_He grins widely and nods again._

"_No one messes with the Barnacle. I totally beat them up, one at a time, _bam, ka-pow, crunch_, they all went down like dead flies."_

"_Then how did you break your arm?"_

"_One of those losers attacked me from the back while I was beating the crap out of his friends. Coward. But I made him pay for that."_

_Barney winks and kisses his fist. _

"_I'm awesome." _

Sighing, Marshall leans against the wall and squeezes his eyes shut. Oh, what he would have given to hear Barney brag about his heroic efforts. It was weird how shocked Marshall felt when Barney merely shrugged when they asked him what happened. There were no outrageous or crazy stories that followed. The earlier scenario was just one of the many things Marshall wished Barney would have said to them in response to their questions. He was very sure that Barney saved his assistant, but why wouldn't he take credit for that?

"_Is Mr Stinson okay?"_

_Marshall looks up to see a very bewildered looking 20 something woman staring at him. He frowns, trying to recall the familiar face._

"_Mr Eriksen, is he okay?" She questions again, this time with more force. _

"_Oh. Uh… yeah. He's going to be fine. The doctors said that he only has a broken arm, and a few bruises, but.. but nothing too serious."_

_The woman exhales loudly as a sign of relief and slumps into the seat beside Marshall's._

"_It's my fault, you know." She says, breaking the uncomfortable silence that ensued._

"_I'm sorry?"_

_Marshall looks at the woman beside him with confusion. Who in the wor…. Oh. She was Barney's newest assistant. Ange..Angela? Angelina? Well, it starts with an A. That much, Marshall knew._

"_They asked me where we kept all the documents and the classified information, so I.. sort of told them to go to hell and that they could go look for those things with their own bloody.." She bites her lips. "God.. I'm such an idiot."_

_Marshall smiles. Wow, this assistant is extremely different from Barney's former ones. This one had brains, a strong personality, and looks. The previous ones, well, they were just hot. Brainless, but hot. _

"_What happened next?"_

"_Of course, they weren't very happy with my choice of words and answer in general, so they shoved me to the corner, and behold.." She lifts up her fringe and Marshall shrieks.(Or shouts. Yeah, that sounds a lot manlier. Marshall totally shouted.)_

_Her fringe was covering an ugly gash of wound, covered with dried blood that smeared her forehead. It was not a pretty sight._

"_Holy crap, you have to get that looked at." Marshall exclaims, getting up to look for a nurse, but she clutches his arms instead and pulls him back to his seat._

"_I just need you to listen to me for a second. I know that you and Mr Stinson are best friends, with those 'conference calls' you've had and the time you spend together?"_

_Marshall blushes. "You know about that?"_

"_Hell yeah. Mr Stinson wasn't very subtle about it." She clears her throat. "Or about things in general." _

"_He tried hitting on you, didn't he?"_

"_Yeah. But I told him straight to his face that I sure as hell will not end up like his other assistants."_

"_That's all? And he backed off?"_

"… _I might have threatened him with images of my boyfriend in the military kicking his skinny ass." She smirks._

"_But, I just want you to tell Mr Stinson that I am sorry I got him injured. He is a good man. He.. protected me from those people, he got beaten because of me."_

"_It was because of you?"_

_She nods sadly. "I angered them, but he took all the beating for me. He just.. hugged me, shielded me from their attacks, while they kicked, and punched him. And.. and.. they dragged him to the corner and just stepped on his arms." A few drops of tears escaped her eyes and she wiped them away fiercely._

_Marshall flinched at the mental image he saw. Barney being beaten and tortured like that?_

_She got up and took a deep breath. _

"_Mr Stinson is a good friend. I know about him being.. what's the word.. de-broed? Yeah, that hurt him a lot. Just thought you should know that."_

"_Thanks for listening, Mr Eriksen. I'm sorry to have burdened you like that. I was just really worried about him. My knight in shining armor." _

"_It's okay.. Aaangela?" Marshall tried, unsure._

"_Angeline."_

"_So who fired those shots?"_

_Angeline winks. "Let's just say the hours spent at the shooting range finally paid off."_

It bothered Marshall that Barney was always so secretive about his good deeds. He bragged about things that no one really cared about, things that don't matter much. (200 women? Impressed or disgusted, Marshall couldn't really tell.) All they saw was the sleazy, womanizing persona of Barney Stinson. The real Barney? They only caught glimpses of it, in the rare occasions in which he did show that side of him to them. Marshall was noticing a pattern here. Barney doing really nice things but never taking credit for them.

For example, his getting Robin a proper job.

"_You got Robin a job." _

"_Dude, check out that girl over there. I'm so going to hit that."_

"_Barney, listen." Marshall tried. "Thank you for that." _

"_Seriously, she is really hot. Time to introduce her to the Barnacle. Stinson is out."_

Why was it that Barney never bragged about the nice things he did for them? Even if he fully earned the right to do so?

Like the time he flew all the way to San Francisco to get Lily back for him.

"_Never ever tell anyone I was here, I will deny it tooth and nail; this trip never happened."_

And most recently, Barney trying to help Ted keep his job. A plan that did backfire on Barney himself, but Barney never did complain.

"_I have a good mind using my fifth slap on you today. God, Barney. Selfish much?"_

_Barney winces. _

"_You have to grow up Barney. Life is not about bimbos an.. OUCH! What the hell, Robin?_

_Marshall glares at Robin and looks at her disapprovingly._

_Barney gives Robin a look and mouths something to her, shaking his head._

"_Yeah, sorry about that. And I won't make this harder for you Marshall. You don't have to continue hanging out with me. Ted.. Ted has made it quite clear, that.. yeah. I'll leave." Barney muttered apologetically, walking out of the bar quietly._

_Marshall sighs. He hated it when these fights happened. Sure, there were only two occasions of it so far, but one had resulted in Barney getting hit by a bus, and another.. well, it was still going on._

_Stupid, stupid, selfish Barney. _

_He turned his attention back to Robin and resisted the urge to shout at her. Crazy woman, stepping on his feet for no apparent reason. Damn, those heels were freaking sharp._

_Realization dawns upon Marshall as Robin explains herself, and Marshall groans inwardly at his own stupidity. _

_Damn Barney and his macho attitude. Damn Ted and his annoying habit of making a fuss out of everything. Damn everyone. Damn everything. _

_Damn Marshall, taking Ted's side and choosing Ted over Barney every single time. _

Barney Stinson is one of a kind, Marshall concludes. A man who is confident and sure of himself, rich, good-looking and charming, but also an individual who yearns for love, approval, and friendship. Marshall would probably be lying in a gutter somewhere (No, not an exaggeration.. okay, fine. Sort of an exaggeration) if Barney did not bring Lily back, and life would be so… boring without Barney. So bland, normal, and uninteresting. There would have been so little things worth reminiscing and recalling. Marshall's life would have been, simply put, less than awesome.

Barney does not need to feel like he is not worthy of being their friends. Because when it comes down to that, they probably don't deserve his loyalty if they keep choosing Ted over Barney just because they've been friends for a longer period of time.

Barney does not need to constantly prove what a good friend he actually is. They all know that. They all know how important Barney Stinson is in their lives. With much determination, Marshall makes it a point to have Barney know that they too, really, really care about him. That they appreciate him, and yes, they all love him. They don't always have to wait till his life is at risk or in danger to be reminded of the Barney Stinson they love, who is usually hidden underneath an Armani suit. Or of the Barney Stinson that kept everyone entertained and happy with his immoral and eccentric ways.

83 minutes after Barney finished surgery, Marshall walks into Barney's ward and sits beside his friend.

"Thank you, Barney. _Thank you_."

Barney, despite being asleep, suddenly smiles and Marshall can't help but smile back at the sleeping man.

"Sleep well, buddy."


	4. Lily

A/N: HELLO. OH MY WORD, IT HAS BEEN A WHOLE YEAR SINCE I UPDATED THIS. I'm really sorry about that. Here's the new chapter, if any of you are still interested. I apologize in advance if it's in any way terrible, seeing that I've made you guys wait so long for this. All grammatical errors and mistakes are mine, and mine alone. *strangely proud* Also, I apologize if the characters seem to be OOC in any way. I really tried writing them in character, but I'm not sure if I was successful.

I also have a question. Do you guys want a final chapter with Barney's viewpoint, or...? I'm not quite sure what I should do, write out the last one, or just end this here for the sake of us all. Not making much sense now, am I? Heh. Please, do review and let me know what you think of this chapter. Enjoy!

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><p>"Stop it."<p>

"What?"

"Whatever you're doing. You're not acting like yourself and it's... stop."

"I have no idea what you're going on about, Lily."

"You've not said a word about how you saved your secretary - no, don't deny it, Marshall told me everything. You've not said anything crass or crude about your nurses, not even to Robin, and that's _not_ okay; and you... you just forgave Ted, forgave _us_ when we just discarded you like a freaking toy, Barney, so just stop whatever it is you're doing and -"

Lily chokes back a sob and tries not to break down when she sees Barney staring ahead blankly.

"Why did you even forgive us? Why... are you even friends with us?" She asks, looking down at her feet, not willing to look him in the eye.

"Because I need all of you." A small voice answers her question, and when she looks up again, her heart feels as if it has shattered into a million pieces.

Barney's face is pale, and his smile is one of a person who tries hard to seem brave, yet failing miserably in that attempt.

"You guys are all that I have. I... I know that I'm a terrible friend, and..."

He swallows and looks up at the ceiling before continuing.

"The first time you guys stopped talking to me? It was absolute hell. This time? It's so, _so_ much more worse, because it becomes that much clearer, Lil, that... that I don't matter."

The anguish and pain his eyes convey fill Lily with helplessness, and Lily wonders how they have all been so blind the whole time.

How could they not have noticed how neglected Barney felt? How it would affect Barney when they chose Ted over him, every single time, just because they have known Ted longer.

How could they have concluded that Barney means much less, just because he portrays himself as an unfeeling womanizer who doesn't care about people, who is too awesome to have friends or anything equally as boring?

Lily remembers clearly the first impression she formed of him when Ted introduced them; there were so many things that she absolutely hated about this _Barney Stinson_, to the extent that she actually told Marshall that Barney would be bad for them.

She hated how brutally honest Barney could be; that he was so emotionally dysfunctional most times, that her students would have more sense than this man; how he did such outlandish things just to get a girl to sleep with him; but more importantly, how he stuck with them even when they showed themselves happy and content without him.

Yes, Lily Aldrin despised Barney with burning passion for the first few months after meeting him. No, you may not hate her for feeling that way, because to her credit, Barney is a talented man who is more than capable of fooling everyone that he was happy being selfish and alone.

She told herself that they could definitely do better than this selfish idiot who refused to leave. Of course, things changed when he opened up to her.

Of all people, he chose to confide in Lily Aldrin, the person he knew disliked him more than anything in the world. She would never understand why he came to her, and Barney, bless his soul, would never let it slip that it was because her opinion mattered to him.

He chose her, because she was the first person to have actually acknowledged his cry of help without even knowing it.

"I don't matter, god, you don't know how much it kills me to admit that, but the thing is that I'm not worthy - I keep trying but I'm not, Lil."

He laughs mirthlessly, the sort that gives one chills to hear, and it's horrifyingly void of any happiness or humour.

"You guys mean the world to me, but... but I'm broken, aren't I? I'm broken, messed up, and undeserving; so perhaps if I changed, maybe if I don't act like Barney or talk like him, maybe-"

Lily reaches out to him and envelopes him into a hug. When did things go so wrong? How could they have let him feel this way?

How could they have hurt Barney like that?

"I'm so tired of pretending that it doesn't kill me to see how you will all choose Ted over me any day, that you'll let me crawl back to you because you feel sorry for me, be-because I can't survive any other way without you guys. I want to matter, I want to, but I can't, Lil, why don't I mean enough-" Barney almost shouts the last part out, and it is then that he loses his composure.

He buries his head in her shoulders and his body violently shakes as he breaks down.

Lily cries along with him, mostly because she can't stop blaming herself. She feels like utter crap over how badly they've disappointed him, taking him for granted in more ways than one just because he's _Barney_.

Time and again they give him hell for doing things any of them would have done, (except selling the woman that one time, that was just wrong, and yes, Barney's learnt from that now); blaming him when things go wrong because it's convenient and no one else is brave enough to admit their faults.

Lily curses herself, realizing that of all people, she should know how horrible the feeling of disappointment and rejection can be, having gone through all of those as a child.

Barney had confided in her, showing her that beneath the man who cares about how good a suit looks, the value of an insanely good bottle of scotch, or the average hotness of a bimbo; was a sensitive man who cared, loved with absolute passion, and was more intelligent than any of them ever gave him credit for.

Beneath the tough exterior of the confident and attractive man, was the 22 year old hipster who had no father to guide him when growing up; who was mocked for his pleasant personality and shy smile; and rejected so many times that he claims to be immune to such dismissal.

That's where most people are wrong, though. One never gets used to rejection. No matter how many times it has to be endured, it _will_ sting. The disappointment that comes with rejection hurts, never less, but always worse than the last.

"You matter, Barney."

"Yeah, right. Don't ever take me for a fool, Lily. I know when people will think I'm weak or pathetic, and this is certainly one of those times."

"Shut up, idiot. The point is, we don't ever want you to change."

He raises his eyebrows and smiles sadly.

"That's what you say now, Lil. But at the end of the day, I'll still be the same heartless bastard who will disappoint you."

"You really don't know how much we need you, do you? Barney, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't even be with Marshall anymore. That's something that haunts me each day, the _what could have been_, the possibility that I would have screwed everything up and you weren't there to help me."

"Lil-"

"No. Shut up and listen carefully to me. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have met Robin, because Ted would have been too much of a wimp to strike up a conversation with her; I never would have seen doppelganger me, the stripper, and that would be a freakin' nightmare all by itself; and Barney, without you, there wouldn't even be an _**us**_."

At this point in time, Barney is gaping at Lily and Lily can't actually see anything through the tears forming again in her eyes. He hands her a tissue and he laughs a little when she blows her nose loudly.

"So, we are the ones who are undeserving of you, we are the ones who need to make it up to you, and Barney, we are the ones who need you."

She notices that he's smiling now, and it's not the painful or twisted smile that shows him resigned and hopeless; rather, it's the genuine one that makes her glad that he never left and stuck through their insanity.

"Be inappropriate, be funny and wonderful in your own way, be Barney. Don't you dare change into a Ted or anything, because I have no idea how to have a conversation with you when you're not saying something profoundly disturbing or mentally scarring, you know, to the point that I'll have to drink bleach to get it out of my head."

She holds his gaze and hopes that he understands what she's trying to say. He nods slightly, and that is all the answer Lily needs.

"Wow. That was really sappy, Lil."

"You love it, like that sappy movie you watch when you're ill."

"I would never, Lily Aldrin. Barney Stinson is made up of many things, with awesome and gorgeous being a few of them, but never sappy."

"Barney, know that we really do love you, even when you're being a complete jackass."

"Is this where we kiss now?" He asks, eyebrows raised suggestively.

She smacks him lightly on his injured arm, and his girlish shout causes her to grin triumphantly.

"You have a filthy mind, Stinson."

"Thanks, Lil." He whispers.

"I'm your best friend. It's part of my job description."

"You're a terrible best friend. You told everyone about the violin." He pouts and folds his arms childishly. Well... his _arm_. The one that is not broken.

"Oh, well. I suppose I'll tell Robin to not get you the footage of Robin Sparkles playing the violin for Christmas."

"Wait. What? Lily Aldrin, you get back here this instant."

When Lily walks out of the ward, she's more determined than ever to show Barney how much he matters, and appreciate him before he finally decides they're not worth the pain, and gives up on them.

She has to show him that he matters, and how much she needs him in her life.

How they all need him.


End file.
